CEPF SMALL GRANT FINAL PROJECT COMPLETION REPORT Organization Legal Name: Identifying critical areas for a landscape level wildlife corridor in Project Title: Uttara Kannada District (northern part of Malnad-Kodagu corridor to Sahyadri - Konkan corridor) of Central Western Ghats Date of Report: 31st January 2011 Balachandra Hegde, Report Author and Contact Lakshmi Venkatesh Complex, TVStation Road, Chowkimath, Information Sirsi, Uttara Kannada, Karnataka. PIN- 581 402, Tel: 09448774778 CEPF Region: Western Ghats Strategic Direction:1 - Enable action by diverse communities and partnerships to ensure conservation of key biodiversity areas and enhance connectivity in the corridors Grant Amount: $ 9900 (Used amount, $ 8406) Project Dates: 1st Sept 2009 to 31st Jan 2011 Implementation Partners for this Project (please explain the level of involvement for each partner): Implementation of the project activities were done with support from Sahyadri Wildlife and Forest Conservation Trust (SWIFT) and Jagruti Foundation/SWIFT implemented the the project while, Jagruti foundation took administrative responsibility. Conservation Impacts Please explain/describe how your project has contributed to the implementation of the CEPF ecosystem profile. Area between Sharavathi Wildlife Sanctuary and Dandeli Anshi Tiger Reserve, was one of the longest non protected areas in central Western Ghats. Through this study we have identified priority areas for conservation within this landscape. These identified conservation priority areas are now declared as three conservation reserves namely Aghanashini-Lion Tailed Macaque Conservation Reserve (ALTM CR), Bedthi Conservation Reserve (BCR), Shalmala Riparian Ecosystem Conservation Reserve, through government order FEE 147FWL 2011 and FEE 141 FWL 2011 dated 13-06- 2011, by government of Karnataka. Aghanashini LTM Conservation Reserve consists 299.52 sq km with 5 conservation priority areas and Bedthi Conservation covers about 57.307 sq km with 3 conservation priority locations. Shalmala Conservation Reserve consists of about 4.89 sq km along 15.6 km stretch of Shalmala river a tributary of Bedthi river. Hence, about 361.72 sq km have been added to protected area network in Western Ghats. Conservation Reserve is a new category of protected area equivalent to IUCN category VI. This protected area encourages community participation in conservation. These protected areas are first of its kind in Western Ghats. So this is a new beginning for new type of conservation in Western Ghats. Please summarize the overall results/impact of your project against the expected results detailed in the approved proposal. Results were more than expected. Identification of priority areas was planned through the project. However, proposals were developed to declare the areas including priority locations into Conservation Reserve and submitted to Karnataka forest department and Western Ghats Task Force. Please provide the following information where relevant: Hectares Protected: ALTM CR: 29952 ha. SRE CR: 489 ha. BV CR: 5707 ha. Species Conserved: Endemic species Lion Tailed Macaque, Great Hornbill, Malabar Pied Hornbill, and several endemic plant species like Myristica fatua, Gymnacanthera canarica, Syzigium travencoricum, Semecarpus katlekansis, Pinanga diksonii, etc. Corridors Created: Corridors were protected for globally important species like Tiger, Elephant, Great India Hornbill, Malabar pied hornbill etc Describe the success or challenges of the project toward achieving its short-term and long-term impact objectives. The corridor was protected for long term conservation. New type of conservation initiative has been started. Were there any unexpected impacts (positive or negative)? This success would not have been possible without the support of Western Ghats Task Force and Karnataka Forest Department. Also with support of other conservation partners and fellow CEPF grantees is greatly acknowledged. Lessons Learned Describe any lessons learned during the design and implementation of the project, as well as any related to organizational development and capacity building. Consider lessons that would inform projects designed or implemented by your organization or others, as well as lessons that might be considered by the global conservation community. Multi-disciplinary landscape level approach is important in developing long term sustainable conservation strategies in landscapes. There is need to convey the conservation message in the language that common man, political leaders and managers of forests can understand. Research publications need to reach managers and conservation leaders. This is an ideal example where research reached to conservation managers and got success. For example, for the same landscape, there were series of scientific peer reviewed publications. However none of them reached the conservation managers and politicians who take decisions. This project used ecology with social and economic assessment of the landscape and conveyed the message effectively to respective audience. Project Design Process: (aspects of the project design that contributed to its success/shortcomings) Project used multi-disciplinary approach which included social and economic assessment of landscape along with ecological prioritization. Also the study assessed the threat to landscape for prioritization. Involvement with local forest officers, politicians and local people helped in conveying the conservation importance to larger audience. Project Implementation: (aspects of the project execution that contributed to its success/shortcomings) Coordination with different stakeholders was the key factor in success. Other lessons learned relevant to conservation community: Though there were several studies and international peer reviewed publications about conservation importance of the area, there are hardly any efforts by local people to put those information in the manner that decision takers can use. This project used multidisciplinary approach for collecting information and compiled those information using ecological, ethical and economical perspectives. ADDITIONAL FUNDING Provide details of any additional donors who supported this project and any funding secured for the project as a result of the CEPF grant or success of the project. Donor Type of Funding* Amount Notes Western Ghats B 40,000.00 This amount was given for Task Force, (INR) preparing proposal to Karnataka Forest declare to Conservation Department Reserves. *Additional funding should be reported using the following categories: A Project co-financing (Other donors contribute to the direct costs of this CEPF project) B Grantee and Partner leveraging (Other donors contribute to your organization or a partner organization as a direct result of successes with this CEPF project.) C Regional/Portfolio leveraging (Other donors make large investments in a region because of CEPF investment or successes related to this project.) Sustainability/Replicability Summarize the success or challenge in achieving planned sustainability or replicability of project components or results. Project can be replicated easily in other locations. There are already efforts being started on this direction in different parts of Western Ghats. CEPF-ATREE supported funding also for such activities. Summarize any unplanned sustainability or replicability achieved. It was planned to declare smaller areas as Conservation reserve. But in the process, Aghanashini Conservation reserve and Lion Tailed Macaque Conservation reserves were joined and declared as one Conservation Reserve. It happened because of the field of visit of senior officers and seeing the importance themselves. Safeguard Policy Assessment Provide a summary of the implementation of any required action toward the environmental and social safeguard policies within the project. Posters and pamphlets describing the project details were prepared and distributed among local people for better understanding of the issue. Performance Tracking Report Addendum CEPF Global Targets (Enter Grant Term) Provide a numerical amount and brief description of the results achieved by your grant. Please respond to only those questions that are relevant to your project. Provide If yes, your provide your numerical numerical response Describe the principal results Is this response for for project achieved from question results Project Results from st st relevant? achieved 1 Sept 2009 to 31 Jan 2011. inception during the (Attach annexes if necessary) of CEPF annual support to period. date. 1. Did your project strengthen Please also include name of the protected management of a protected area area(s). If more than one, please include the guided by a sustainable No yet number of hectares strengthened for each one. management plan? Please indicate number of hectares improved. 2. How many hectares of new Aghanashini LTM Conservation and/or expanded protected areas Bedthi Conservation Reserve did your project help establish Yes 36572 ha 36572 ha Shalmala Riparian Conservation Reserve through a legal declaration or community agreement? 3. Did your project strengthen biodiversity conservation and/or natural resources management inside a key biodiversity area No identified in the CEPF ecosystem profile? If so, please indicate how many hectares. 4. Did your project effectively introduce or strengthen biodiversity conservation in management No practices outside protected areas? If so, please indicate how many hectares. 5. If your project promotes the sustainable use of